Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan has called for a renewed ''national conversation'' about Australia becoming a republic, though Labor has no immediate plans to hold another referendum.

In an opinion piece written to coincide with Australia Day, Mr Swan laments that the republican movement has ''fallen from the national agenda over the past decade''.

''I think our national conversation is sold short when it doesn't include a debate about our relationship with the Crown,'' Mr Swan wrote.

The former leader of the Australian Republican Movement, Malcolm Turnbull, said it was never a bad time to talk about Australia becoming a republic, but he had mixed feelings about Mr Swan pushing the cause.

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''While I am a committed republican, my heart sinks at the thought of Wayne Swan bringing his advocacy skills to such an important national cause,'' Mr Turnbull said.

In Mr Turnbull's view, the success of the republican movement turned on the longevity of the Queen. ''As someone who has considerable experience in not winning constitutional referendums, they are easier to defeat than to win and timing is everything,'' Mr Turnbull said.

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''I remain of the view . . . that a referendum will not be successful prior to the end of the Queen's reign.''

In the 1999 republic referendum, 55 per cent of Australians voted that Australia should remain a monarchy.

The conservative movement to preserve Australia's link to the monarchy was led by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

The Australian Republican Movement's national director, David Morris, said republicanism had been off the agenda since the referendum because of a ''complete lack of political leadership''.

Mr Morris said the movement was launching a new campaign, with the slogan ''Our identity: who do we want to be?'' and would focus on Australians ''growing up'' and gaining their independence.

Backing a renewed push for a republic, Greens leader Christine Milne said: ''We welcome the fact that some in the Labor party have raised the issue and if Labor is serious about this we look forward to advancing the discussion. Equally if Mr Turnbull is committed to an Australian republic he should talk to his leader about changing their policy.''